John Calipari said this at the beginning of the season. Ugona Onyenso It was always scheduled to be about two weeks late. aaron bradshaw Regarding the debut of the 2023-24 season. Bradshaw officially found his way to the hardwood for the first time on Dec. 2 in Kentucky’s 80-73 loss to UNC Wilmington. And in his win over Penn just a week later, he had a double-double in 29 minutes and looked every inch the corner. He was considered a five-star prospect.
This coming Saturday, December 16th, will be exactly two weeks since Bradshaw’s debut. Kentucky is scheduled to play No. 9 North Carolina State in Atlanta on the same day in the CBS Sports Classic. If Calipari’s early-season timeline follows, Onyenso might play against the Tar Heels for the first time this season after breaking his foot in July. There is certainly a trend in that direction. Calipari even said on Monday’s radio call-in show that Onyenso was practicing and that he was “hoping” to have the big man available Saturday.
During Thursday’s press conference in front of North Carolina, assistant coach Bruiser Flint also hinted that Onienso would make his debut in the near future, saying the 7-foot sophomore center has played well in practice this week.
“He’s been doing pretty well in practice,” Flint said. “Hugo played last year, but I think he helped him a little bit more than Aaron, who just came in his first year. I have a pretty good idea of what you’re looking for. He’s been good this week and I’m looking forward to getting him out.. I think he will bring a different presence in terms of physicality and defense. That’s what he’s doing is defensive rebounding. We’re just as excited as you are. He did well in practice. He is a kid who picks things up quickly and has some experience. He was here last year, so he understands a lot of what we’re trying to do. ”
Kentucky could use some big bodies again against North Carolina. First of all, 6-foot-11 center Armando Bacot is one of the most talented bigs in the country. This season, the three-time All-ACC selection is averaging 15.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game while shooting 51 percent from the field. Harrison Ingram is only 6 feet 7 inches tall, but weighs 235 pounds and packs a lot of power in the paint. North Carolina State could bring some size off the bench with 6-foot-10 Jalen Washington and 6-foot-9 Jaelin Withers.
Bradshaw had an impressive performance last weekend against Penn in Philadelphia, but Bradshaw was bullied repeatedly by the Quakers, especially 6-foot-9 forward Nick Spinoso. It’s obvious. Bacot is a significant improvement over Spinoso in his talent and physicality.have onyenso and Bradshaw’s availability should help strengthen Kentucky’s defense in the paint against North Carolina’s size.
“I think (Onienso) is actually a kid who fits in more easily than Aaron because he understands a little bit more of what we did last season and how we do certain things. Because there are,” Flint added. “But it’s going to take a little bit of time. All of a sudden we have some big guys that we haven’t had before. It’s going to be a little different.”
Adding two centers to the rotation will take some growing pains, but two 7-footers are better than one, and certainly better than none.
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